Insert Beatdown of a Different Kind Here
by RedemptionWarrior
Summary: ACMSES multichapter story. Kyle and Aster are given a mission in the Touhou fandom. However, they find it to be far different from its original plot. It'll take a lot of effort to make fix this mess.
1. Chapter 1

This is my last story for Season 1, so this does take place before the Society's "movie".

**Insert Beatdown of a Different Kind Here

* * *

**

This story starts off with the Society Agent Kyle laying in his room, listening to one particular song. The fact that he has been listening to this song on repeat for over an hour doesn't bother him at all. It had a mystical sound to it, which he loved. It was during one of the countless replays that Kyle heard a knock on his door. With a bit of annoyance that someone was interrupting, he sat up, paused his music and then said.

"You can come in."

His door opened and Aster came in. For a moment, she looked around his room. After all, it's rare for anyone but the leaders to come to Kyle's room for any reason. It was relatively empty save for Kyle's bed, a desk, which only held some notebooks and the stand for his Omni-weapon, and an empty trashcan. There was a closest, which was empty as he kept everything in his Astral Vault. When Kyle cleared his throat, Aster snapped her attention to him.

"Umm...That song you were listening to just now. It was Sora's Folktale, right?"

Kyle gave her a surprised glance before replying, "You know your anime. That was obscure enough that I didn't expect any other member of the Society to know it."

Aster gave him a grin as she responded, "Don't underestimate my knowledge of anime and manga kyaa~!"

He shrugged, "I guess not. So, you only wanted to ask me about the song?"

She kinda looked towards the ceiling in a thinking gesture. With a clap of realization, she said, "Oh yeah!...I've been wanting to talk with you about that power of yours."

Kyle's expression got serious when she said that. Shifting himself and straightening up, he asked, "Which power are you talking about here?"

"Umm...the one you used when you dissolved that misaimed fireball."

* * *

FLASHBACK

_Aster was in the middle of reading a manga...don't ask which one, it's not important to the story. Anyway, she wasn't paying the usual chaos of the Library any attention until she heard someone shout._

_"LOOK OUT!"_

_Not knowing who that was directed at, she looked up for a moment. There was Kyle in his usual leisure wear, (sandals, sweatpants and a t-shirt), with a sports drink in his hand while eating some jerky. He also heard the shout, turning to face it with some jerky hanging out of his mouth. That's when both Kyle and Aster saw it, a fireball about the size of his chest heading in his direction. Kyle just gave it a blank stare as it sped towards him. However, just as it was getting close, he seemed to concentrate for a moment and then the fireball shrunk to nothing. Aster seemed surprised, but then turned back to her manga without a second thought._

END FLASHBACK

* * *

Kyle blinked as the flashback faded. Aster looked at him expectantly. Massaging his forehead for a moment, he asked, "Anything specific that you want to know? I have a hard time explaining without specifics."

Aster took a moment to think and then said, "How does it compare to my powers?"

Kyle had a facefault for a moment before he started massaging his forehead again. Flinging both arms outward, he accessed his Astral Vault, pulling out a bottle of headache medicine and a sports drink. He popped a couple of pills into his mouth and then drank all of the drink in one breath. With that done, he returned the medicine and threw empty sports drink into the trashcan, which vanished as soon as it entered. Aster just watched Kyle throughout this.

Taking a few deep breaths, Kyle spoke up, "I'm not completely sure how my Energy Manipulation powers stack against your Elemental abilities because I don't know how they work in comparison. My power comes from the understanding of different types of energy and how they work. For all I know, your power could use energy that I don't even know exists."

"I see," Aster said, kind of disappointed. Then she perked up, clapped her hands and said, "If you know of the energy I control, maybe you could use it too!"

Kyle shook his head, "I have to do more than just know of it. I have to understand it. Recorded types of energy are easy to understand because they have already been studied. This includes types like Ki and Chakra. If I wanted to, I could use those, but I choose not to and instead just use my understanding to defend against them."

Aster seemed kind of dumbfounded, no surprise there, taking a moment before she responded, "I don't understand. If you can use those energies, then why don't you?"

"Personal choice for one thing. Not wanting to be a Stu is another. Power may be as versatile as the imagination of the user, but it's the user's will that keeps that power in check," Kyle stated sagely.

"Huh?" Aster was confused. She just stood there for a few moments in thought before she continued, "I don't get it."

Sighing in resignation, Kyle unpaused the song, laying down and letting it soak into his mind once more while remaining aware of an extra person in his room. To her credit, Aster stood there silently listening to the song and watching its effect on Kyle. Other than his eyes remaining open, you couldn't tell he was awake by looking at him. Of course, this is the Anti-Cliche and Mary Sue Elimination Society. Not even Kyle's room stays so peaceful for long. The song was starting another playthrough when Kyle's communicator started beeping.

Growling in annoyance, Kyle paused the song again and answered with a snippy, "Yes?"

"Well, someone's grouchy today," Adrian's voice came out of the communicator.

"Sorry, everyone seems to want to intrude on my music right now. How can I help?" Kyle apologized to the leader. Adrian's voice came through the communicator again.

"I know you've been restless recently. What, with the downtime you had since your last mission and Tash ordering you to slow down your training during it. Anyway, since it's been awhile, I've found a mission for you. All you need is a partner and whatever preparations you think you might need to do and then you're set to go."

Aster heard this and started bouncing on her heels, repeatedly shouting, "I'll go, I'll go!"

Kyle facepalmed for a moment before saying into his com-unit, "As much as I think this decision will annoy me later, I'll not waste any time looking and just take Aster with me."

He could almost hear sympathy in the reply as Aster went from shouting 'I'll go' to 'Yay!', "Alright then, glad that's out of the way. Your target fandom is called Touhou. Be careful, we've been getting some weird readings, though they haven't been listed as anything dangerous. How much time do you think you need for preparation?"

"Depending on Aster, all I should need is a quick meal before I go. I learned my lesson from my Street Fighter mission; never go on a mission without eating first."

* * *

Kyle and Aster exited a portal and found themselves on the border of a relatively normal looking forest. While they couldn't really identify the types of trees, the trees themselves weren't very tall so there was plenty of sunlight to see with. Kyle crossed his arms and thought aloud as Aster decided to take in some sights.

"Let's see, forest of normalish trees inside the Touhou Fandom. The only place that comes to mind is the Forest of Magic. Thankfully, we weren't put inside that forest. It has a reputation of being very unpleasent to even prepared intruders. Let's not go there unless we direly have to. Alright, Aster?...Aster?" Kyle stopped his thinking and looked around, not seeing the fae Society member. Just before he could have an 'Oh Crap' moment, he heard her call out.

"Kyle-kun, I've found a deserted building. Come quick, come quick!" With a quick facepalm, he headed in the direction he heard Aster's voice. Upon getting close enough to see the building in question clearly, Kyle paused in shock. It was an older style Japanese building with only one story and a wooden door on the front. Along the outside of the building, one could see various odds and ends that were common to most people; a kayak, a street sign, a refrigerator, several tires, the list goes on. Kyle knew instantly what this place was and who it belonged to.

"I don't think anyone's here. I've tried knocking and calling out to someone, but I haven't gotten an answer." Aster seemingly popped up right beside the still paused Kyle. Kyle snapped back to reality and flinched a little in surprise. Taking a breath, Kyle calmed himself and then walked up to the door. Trying the handle and finding it locked, Kyle said in a loud voice.

"Rinnosuke, you here? Rinnosuke?" When there was no response after a minute or so, Kyle pounded on the door for a moment or two. Of course, that was similar to what Aster said she did, but Kyle kind of hoped that the owner would respond to his name before trying force. Still, nobody came to the door and Kyle was getting annoyed. Deciding that he had enough of waiting, he took out his Omni-weapon from his Astral Vault. Of course, most people, including Aster, would think that he'd bust down the door or destroy it in some way. Instead, Kyle held the Omni-weapon over the keyhole and then turned it. He heard a click, prompting him to put his Omni-weapon away.

With a sense of confidence, Kyle grasped the doorhandle and opened the door. Aster was surprised, though that shouldn't be so surprising. Anyway, the door opened on rusty hinges, creaking as sunlight entered the building once more. In the newfound light, even more odds and ends like the ones outside were on display. One thing was also clear with the light; nobody had been in this place for a long time. The place was dusty and small animals fled at the intrusion. Kyle was suspicious about the state of the place. After all, he knew this fandom and he wouldn't believe that the owner of the building would just up and leave.

"Kyle-kun! I think something's watching us!" Aster was facing away from the entrance of the building, looking this way and that as she tried to find whoever was spying. Turning around, Kyle took a few seconds to look. After a moment, he concentrated and out of a hole in his Astral Vault, came a transparent green visor with a line leading back to the hole. He took off his glasses and put the visor in their place.

"Eh, Kyle-kun...What is that?" Aster said as she saw him with the visor over his eyes. She could see lines and text through the transparent surface.

"It's a personal HUD that lets me see in Augmented Reality by a connection to a computer system I keep in my Astral Vault," was his reply to her question. The visor was scanning as Kyle looked one way and then the other for this spy that Aster thought she felt.

"What's Augmented Reality? I don't understand," said Aster, obviously confused. Kyle closed his eyes for a moment as he felt a headache coming on.

"Alright then. This visor lets me see things that normal eyes can't. That's as simple as I can get it." After that, Kyle fell quiet as his visor continued scanning. Aster got a look of comprehension from this new information. Kyle's visor finally locked onto something to his right just as Aster shouted.

"Kyle-kun, over there!" He turned in response to both and saw what could only be described as a portal. Unlike the holes into Kyle's Astral Vault, which only appear black if visible, this portal showed a completely different location. On the other side of it was a woman that Kyle would describe as tall, meaning taller than him. She had long blonde hair with a pink mop hat on her head. Her clothing consisted of a dress that was combination of eastern and western styles plus oriental socks and shoes. Kyle recognized her instantly.

"Yukari Yakumo, the youkai mistress of boundaries," Kyle stated the person's identity to Aster as he let the visor return to his Astral Vault and placed his glasses back on his face. With a clear smile on her face, the woman on the other side of the spatial opening started waving for them to come to her. He was a bit weary of her, but Kyle wanted to know what was going on so he walked towards the portal. Aster followed behind him and then Kyle stopped them both short of entering.

"I'm assuming you can hear me through there. Yukari, what has happened to Rinnosuke? He's not in his shop."

Yukari frowned and sighed before she responded, "That Mary Sue you two are after dissolved the Gensokyo boundary. I can feel her power still lingering and until something can be done about it, I can't use my power while over there. Shortly after the boundary vanished, everything mythical faded from Gensokyo. There was no longer any distinction between humans, youkai, and everything else that lived here except for appearances."

Kyle crossed his arms as he said, "Wait a minute. The only way I can think of for a Sue to dissolve the Gensokyo barrier would be getting the better of you and that would mean defeating you in battle. That or she's more powerful than you are and I doubt even a Sue could be THAT powerful."

"It's nice to know that you think so highly of me," Yukari smiled at the implied complement. She sighed again as she continued, "Well, Spell Card Battles are a fair way to fight in Gensokyo, so it's not too big a stretch for me to lose. I was weak for just a moment after the battle was over and she took that chance to use a spell to send me to another dimension and then place a seal on Gensokyo to prevent me from returning long enough to fulfill her purpose. That's what I get for being lazy."

Kyle uncrossed his arms as the logic of that set in. Then something she had said just a moment ago hit him, "Wait, how'd you know we were after the Mary Sue that did this?"

She giggled, "You're familiar with my power, so it shouldn't be surprising that I know of the Anti-Cliche and Mary Sue Elimination Society. Isn't that right, Kyle?"

He nodded his head in concession to that. Kyle knew that Yukari could manipulate any boundary she wanted, both physical and metaphysical ones. Heck, one of her best spell cards was called the Boundary of Life and Death.

After a few moments, Kyle spoke up, "So, you were waiting for us? Why is that?"

Yukari frowned, "Though I can't use my power over there, I can still manipulate physical boundaries to and from its places. Thus, until that Sue is dealt with, I'll have to rely on the two of you."

Kyle facepalmed, "How is that different from how you normally handle problems within Gensokyo? You're always manipulating others to handle the dirty work for you."

"I'll admit to that...however, this time, I do it out of necessity. Look, I know it's your job to track down and capture Sues and Stus, but you'll find it much easier if you let me help you."

Kyle sighed in resignation as he had to admit that she had a point. After a moment, he asked, "What are you going to have us do?"

"First I will send you to the city where the Sue resides, " Yukari explained as a portal appeared a few feet away from Kyle and Aster. Through it, they could see a sprawling city with several skyscrapers. "Then, I want you to gather as many of the residents of Gensokyo that you know of as you can find. With what I have in mind, they'll all want in on it."

She paused, giving Kyle a look that asked if he understood. When he nodded, she continued, "Be careful, as that portal is the closest I can get to the city with my power. The sue's power may even affect you two when you get there."

Taking a moment, Kyle pulled the Omni-weapon out of his Astral Vault and then slid it into his outfit. Yukari quirked an eyebrow when she noticed that the Omni-weapon didn't produce a bulge where it was placed. With that done, Kyle moved towards the portal to the city with Aster following behind with a slightly confused look on her face. Before he entered though, Yukari spoke up one last time.

"One more thing. I added a temporary feature to that music device of yours, which'll help in finding the others. If you get close to one, their theme song will start playing."

Kyle turned around sharply and burst out, "WHAT! You tampered with my Mood Music Maker?"

Yukari giggled at the outburst, "It's just a temporary function and it won't interfere with it other than when you're close to a Gensokyo resident. Hmm, Mood Music Maker isn't really a creative name, is it?"

Kyle frowned as he turned back to the portal, "It wasn't meant to be creative, just descriptive."

Yukari watched as the agents entered the portal, which closed behind them. After a moment, she sighed, "I miss Ran and Chen...I've never felt helpless before. Now, I can only hope that they can do the job."

* * *

In the tallest skyscraper in the city, which could rival the former World Trade Center in size, of course, was the Sue that Kyle and Aster were after. She was about as tall as Tash, with platinum blonde hair and wearing a beige business suit. Her personal office was also her apartment, taking up the last five floors of the building. It was full of the most expensive furniture you could imagine as well as at least three refridgerators per floor, full of the most expensive drinks you can think of. Apparently, the term, excess, means nothing to this Sue. Currently, she had just finished a business transaction heavily in her favor and was rewarding her "effort" with a few bottles of white wine in a darkened room where the only source of light was a contained fireplace.

As she was celebrating, a cloaked figure appeared behind her and cleared his throat. When the Sue looked at him, he spoke in a monotone, "We have detected two Agents of the Anti-Cliche and Mary Sue Elimination Society, Miss Cerebrum Cerebellum Medulla Oblongata."

The Sue turned back to her wine almost dismissively, but then her voice, charming and deadly, asked, "Which ones?"

"Kyle Griswold and Aster Selene, ma'am," came the monotonous reply. Cerebrum spit out the wine she had taken a drink off and crushed the wineglass in her hand.

"Two of their most powerful Agents. Aster's too much of an idiot to be any trouble for you, but with the one who took down Deary and Kaylee..."

The cloaked man chuckled monotonously before replying, "I think you forget that I was equipped to handle him. His power and weaponry will mean nothing when facing me."

When he had said this, what light in the room reached into his cloak and glinted off of a barely visible metal ball.

* * *

I'll stop Chapter 1 here. I've got plenty for the next chapter, so it'll hopefully be ready soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

Kyle and Aster found themselves several miles outside the city on a stretch of highway. Like in most movies with such a scene, the road was almost completely empty save a car or two passing by every few minutes. Kyle scowled at the distance to the city as he didn't know if Aster would allow him to carry her like he did with Tash in his previous mission. Aster was scowling the distance as well, but probably for a different reason...I don't know what it is, I'm not an omniscient narrator. Anyway, Kyle let his eyes wander from the city and then spotted a payphone at a nearby rest stop. Giving Aster a quick tap on the shoulder, Kyle rushed over to the payphone with an idea in mind.

He had picked up the receiver and was sliding his special paycard into a slot for phone cards when Aster came up behind him and asked, "Who are you calling, Kyle-kun?"

"A precaution," Kyle responded as he rapidly dialed a series of numbers. Aster merely gave him a strange look as he waited for the call to go through. When he heard someone pick up, he gestured for Aster to remain quiet.

"Hello...This is Kyle...Sorry, this isn't a social call...Yes...Touhou...As a precautionary measure...Who's available?...Ouch," Kyle got a pained expression on his face for a brief moment. "Tell her that I may call upon her within the next few days...Alright...Standard fare then?...That right?...Just make sure she's informed...Oh, he just got back?...Tell both of them then...Yes, yes, Standard fare all around...Well, talk to you later then...HE SAID WHAT!...Once I'm done with this, I'm personally coming over there and beating him up and about the head with a hard, blunt object...I don't care that he's currently catatonic!...He'll still feel it when he comes back...Alright, alright, I'll calm down...Thanks for the sentiment...Alright, I'll let you do that in my place...I almost feel sorry for him then...See you later...Bye."

Kyle hung up the receiver with a sigh. Aster stepped out of the way as Kyle walked away from the payphone.

"Kyle-kun, who were you talking to?" She inquired. Kyle looked at her over at her before replying.

"A group I call on if I think I'll need their help for trouble. I'll tell you more about it if I have to summon one of them." He faced the city, sighing as he tried to mentally figure the distance. After a moment, he knelt down and motioned for Aster. "Normally, I'd be against something like this, but it'll be faster if I carry you."

For her part, Aster merely nodded and climbed on. She was secured in place as Kyle stood up. Taking a deep breath at the additional weight, Kyle started running and then activated his Accelerator. They shot off, blurring as Kyle raced towards the city. Aster was enjoying it, apparently, as she was screaming with excitement in Kyle's ear. By the time Kyle stopped running, they were within the city limits and just outside of a nice park. Just then, music started playing from somewhere on Kyle. Aster climbed off so Kyle could pull out his Mood Music Maker.

"Kyle-kun, what's that song?" Aster asked as Kyle looked at the device.

"Shunshun Shuugetsu~Mooned Insect. It's the theme song of Wriggle Nightbug. She's around here somewhere." He replied as he stared at the park.

"Then let's just find her," Aster spoke as she walked into the park. Agreeing with a nod, Kyle followed after. While walking along, they came across a children's playground.

"Mama, you look tired." Kyle and Aster looked over at a green haired little boy standing in front of his green haired mother, who was sitting down on a bench. The strangest thing about their hair, yes even more strange than the fact that it's green, is that two tiny spots of hair stuck up like insect antennae. Kyle recognized it almost immediately.

"Wriggle Nightbug?" He asked as he approached the bench. The kid and his mother looked at him.

"My maiden name is Nightbug, yes. I haven't been called that in years. So who are you and how do you know me?" The woman asked. Kyle took a moment to think about the answer so he could compare his knowledge of Touhou to what he was seeing.

"My name is Kyle and I'm familiar with Gensokyo," He replied. The Wriggle that he knew from Touhou was a Firefly Youkai who could control any insect at whim. She looked like a child and dressed boyishly, making it easy to mistake her gender. This Wriggle, however, was much different. Her appearance had definitely matured, her feminine figure easy to see through her shirt and jeans.

"Ge..Gensokyo?" She had a look of surprise on her face, but it quickly gave way as a look of sadness sprung up. "It's been...so long. All my friends...I miss them."

Then she started crying. She put her head in her hands and wept.

"Mama, please don't cry. Please." Her child said as he gave her a hug. Wriggle hugged him back as she continued to cry. After several minutes, she stopped crying and let her child go. Her sadness was still evident on her face when she turned back to the Agents.

"I'm sorry about that," she said.

"I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to bring up any painful memories," was Kyle's response. He sat down on the bench while Aster walked over to the playground.

"It's alright, you had no way of knowing," Wriggle answered with a shake of her head. Her child saw that the two adults were going to chat, so he followed Aster's lead and headed towards the playground.

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened to you after Gensokyo faded?" Kyle's voice was as calm as he could make it. Wriggle turned her eyes forward and waited a few moments before speaking.

"I was so confused. My powers were gone and I was no different than any normal human. My friends and I would still meet relatively often, but eventually those meetings became few and far between until we just stopped meeting altogether. When that happened, I just started wandering and I ended up here, in this city. After what seemed like years of trying to adjust to living like a human, I met the man who eventually became my husband. I've basically been a housewife after my first child was born...I love my children, but many times, I wish I could be back in Gensokyo with my friends again."

Kyle listened and deeply empathized with her. Several faces passed before his eyes, faces of people he used to hang out with, but separated from for various reasons. His eyes closed for a few moments and then opened them with a decisive look on his face. Standing up, he flicked a wrist and a piece of paper appeared in his hand. Turning to Wriggle, he held it out for her to take.

"Here, I'll let you have one of these." She took it, looked at it for a moment and then looked up at him. He continued, "Keep that with you and we'll be able to stay in touch while I'm in this city. I'm staying for a few days on business. Since it involves Gensokyo, I'll keep you informed."

Wriggle stood up and turned to the Agent, holding the paper to give it back, "I appreciate the thought, but I've given up on Gensokyo. It won't return and I accept that."

Shaking his head, Kyle pushed her hand back and replied, "Keep it anyway. If only so I have a way to reach you when I can prove that there's still hope for Gensokyo."

Sighing at his insistence, Wriggle merely nodded in acceptance and went towards the playground to get her child so they could go home. Shortly thereafter, Aster came back and gave Kyle a curious look. From aways off, Wriggle was escorting her child home when she turned back to look at Kyle and Aster. She saw Aster piggy-back on Kyle and then both of them seemed to just blur out of existence. Her child looked at his mother as she seemed frozen in time. Only one thought crossed her mind as she snapped back to reality.

_..."There's still hope for Gensokyo". Please be right about that...please!

* * *

_

Several minutes later, Kyle and Aster were walking down a slummy street. Kyle was munching on some energy bars while Aster was walking alongside with a manga in her hand that was given to her by Kyle. Don't ask which manga it is, that's not important to the story. As they were passing an alley, Kyle's Music Maker started up again.

"Meiji Juushichi-nen no Shanhai Arisu, the theme song of Hong Meiling," Kyle spoke up, speaking the Japanese part a bit slower than the rest of the sentence, after listening to it for a few seconds. Aster looked up from her manga to give Kyle a look.

"You're pretty good with that, if a bit slow in actually speaking. Did you take Japanese classes?"

"Only for about a year or so in high school, but I'm also a big fan of several Anime." Kyle answered with a shrug. The music stopped while they were a couple meters away from the alley. Kyle stopped and had to put a hand on Aster's shoulder to keep her from going on without him. Aster looked up from her manga to watch him go back to the alley and hear the music start up again. "That Yukari is pretty clever. To keep us from having to do a lot of heavy searching, she made it like the game Hot n Cold."

Aster just shrugged as she sauntered back over. When she reunited with Kyle, they both strode into the dank backstreet. While about half way through, someone leaped out from behind a dumpster and put a knife to Kyle's back. Aster stopped walking but didn't look up from her manga as Kyle once again put his hand on her shoulder.

"Take out your wallets and drop them on the ground," came a female voice with a slight Chinese accent. Kyle turned his head as best he could to look at his attacker. She was a rather tall redheaded woman wearing a well cared for, if quite grungy, Chinese style dress. She wore a hat that matched her garb with a tarnished star on it. Kyle recognized her faster than he recognize Wriggle.

"H-Hong Meiling!" The moment those words left his mouth, the woman's eyes widened in surprise and then she lowered her knife.

"You know who I am...you even know my name...WHO ARE YOU?"

"My name is Kyle Griswold," was his response. He turned around to fully face her and Aster looked over at the woman before going back to her manga. "My current job is to restore Gensokyo."

"G-Gensokyo..." Hong Meiling breathlessly spoke. She collapsed onto her knees as the shock caught her in its grip. The knife fell effortlessly from her now limp fingers. At this point, her stomach chose to signal its hunger by growling, though she wasn't in a state to respond to it.

"Hey, are you ok? When was the last time you ate something?" Kyle questioned as he knelt down to check on her. Hong Meiling didn't seem to register the question for a few moments, but then she said.

"I...I think...about four days ago." Now, Hong Meiling is one of Kyle's favorite Touhou characters and to see her like this made him ticked. His face darkened to a scowl as he whipped an arm up and into his Astral Vault. Upon seeing this display, Hong Meiling almost fainted from the shock. When he pulled his arm out, he was holding...

"A b-b-b-baozi...!" Hong Meiling couldn't believe her eyes, weakly reaching up a hand to take it as Kyle was handing it to her. She stared at it for a second before taking a hesitant bite. As she chewed, it finally registered that it was real. Her lips smiled while she chewed, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. The sight of her joy melted Kyle's scowl almost instantly. Reaching into his Astral Vault again, he pulled out a plate of baozi and set it down in front of her. Meiling was taking her time with the first one, savoring each bite like it was the best one. When she finished it, she exclaimed, "Delicious! I haven't had food of my native land this good in years!"

* * *

Back at the Library Arcanium, Adrian was watching Kyle on the monitor, a precautionary measure since he was recovered from the Endless Abyss of the Night Sky. Currently, he was feeling a bit exasperated.

"He's been expanding his Astral Vault's stock again. I'll have to talk to him about that." At that moment, one of the members working at the massive computer spoke up.

"Sir, you'd better come take a look at this." Adrian quickly strode over to the Society member. "That reading we've been tracking within the Touhou fandom...it's getting stronger!"

Adrian frowned at the news, "the reading isn't of the Sue, that's already been checked." _I've got a bad feeling about this, yet I get the feeling that Kyle and Aster can handle it. Whatever the case may be, I'll have a rescue team on standby...just in case.

* * *

_

Hong Meiling was finishing the last of the baozi as Aster bugged Kyle for another manga for her to read. Kyle sighed before he pulled one out of his Astral Vault and handed it to her, causing her to move away and start reading. Standing up with renewed energy, Hong Meiling bowed to Kyle for the meal.

"I'm in your debt for your assistance." Kyle waved it off and then replied.

"Anyway, can you tell me what happened to you after Gensokyo's barrier faded?" Hong Meiling sighed as she prepared to tell her story.

"It was many years ago. At the Scarlet Devil mansion, everything was chaotic. The fairy maids were in a state of panic because of their missing magic. I still stood at my post by the gate as it was my job to be the guard. I think my mistress, Remilia Scarlet, had a plan for dealing with this crisis, though I apparently wasn't included in her plan as the head maid, Sakuya Izayoi, had left in a hurry with Remilia's sister, Flandre. Remilia, herself, left the next day with the mansion's librarian, Patchouli Knowledge, in tow. She told me that all of the mansion staff had to fend for themselves. After that, I started wandering...getting work and food where I could get it, but it's been a lonely journey. Somehow, I ended up in this city and haven't been able to find a job to support myself since. I've only really survived this long because I met others who were in similar situations."

Kyle listened while doing his best to keep his temper down. As she finished speaking, Kyle made a decision. "Alright then. I'll hire you."

Hong Meiling snapped her head to look at Kyle in shock. It took a few moments for her voice to come out, "Y-you mean it? You'll employ me?"

Kyle rubbed the back of his head before replying, "Well, I don't really have money to pay you with, but I can give you food and stuff in compensation." He was caught off-guard as the Chinese youkai glomped him, taking him down while thrown off-balance. They got back up, Hong Meiling giddy like little kid at Christmas while Kyle could feel a headache coming on.

WIth a sigh, Kyle spoke again, "Well, this is a step in the right direction at least. Though, how am I going to find other previous residents of Gensokyo?"

The Chinese youkai paused at the question, but then she grinned and said, "I can help you with that. If you're looking for something, it pays to have friends in low places."

Kyle looked at her for a moment, "Those 'others' you mentioned before, right? You think it's possible that they'd know where other Gensokyo people are?"

She nodded, "One thing I noticed about Remilia and the others before they left is the fact that they looked the exact same without their powers. Having a network of friends like I do will make finding people from Gensokyo within the city limits easy. You can find useful things among the dredges and refuse of society."

The male Agent nodded in agreement to her last statement. "Classic 'diamond in the rough' scenario. Well, why are we sticking around here then? Let's get going!"

The gatekeeper youkai cheered as Kyle got Aster's attention. Within moments, they were out of the backstreet and on their way down the road.

* * *

This is it for Chapter 2. Browny points for anyone who can make up the other side of Kyle's phone conversation. It doesn't have to be serious at all, it just has to make sense with what Kyle says. Whoever makes the one that I like the best will be allowed one request. Whatever that request is, within reason, I'll see what I can do. It may not seem like much, but it's what I have to offer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3

* * *

**

"Do you have any information on their location, Mr. 'Bodyguard'?" Cerebrum asked in an impatient tone. She was staring at the city below out of a massive window. Behind her, the cloaked figure materialized out of nowhere.

"Nothing definitive, but I've been hearing from my network of spies that there are some people from out of town who are looking for former residents of Gensokyo. I believe that might be them." His voice still held its monotonous edge.

The sue frowned as she thought aloud, "Why look for residents of that unnatural place? Shouldn't they be looking for me? I am their true target, aren't I?"

"I can't begin to hazard a guess, ma'am," said the cloaked man stoically.

"Of course you can't. You weren't assigned to me because of your brains," Cerebrum snapped back. She moved away from the window and swept towards the nearest refidgerator she had. Before opening it, she reached into a pocket and pulled out a deck of intricate cards. "Maybe I'll have to demonstrate to them just who they're dealing with."

* * *

Hong Meiling was practically on cloud nine as she made her way over to a group of hobos in an alley she knew. When they heard her approach, they all looked at her and were surprised by the happy expression on her face. She greeted them merrily, performing some flips to close the distance between them. The hobos applauded after she stopped.

"Well, someone's full of energy today," the apparently "leader" of the group spoke up. "What's the reason for it?"

Meiling responded with a smile, "I've found some employment! Two people I met are looking for former residents of Gensokyo and I told them that I could help."

"That's wonderful, but I'm assuming that there's more to this visit than you just informing us of your situation."

"That's why you're the leader...Yeah, you're right about that. I was hoping that you guys could help out."

The leader looked at the other vagrants, who all nodded. When he turned back to Hong Meiling and nodded, she immediately hugged him.

* * *

Kyle and Aster were at a fast food place, waiting on Meiling. Aster had more interest in her manga as her food was barely touched, while Kyle was eating enough for a small army because of his abundant use of Accelerator. As he was finishing up, however, the Mood Music Maker started playing and it wasn't a song he wanted to hear. He knew the song and he knew the character that the song went with, however it wasn't truly the theme song of the character. Even as he listened, images from when he first learned of the song played through his head; images of a middle age woman with ice blue hair in a mostly blue and white dress whose time had stopped years ago.

Aster looked up from her manga when the song started playing and saw the sad and shocked look on Kyle's face. That got her attention; she never saw him with a sad expression before.

"What's this song?" She asked, almost hesitantly.

Kyle closed his eyes for a moment as he wrestled with his emotions. When he opened them again, he spoke, "It translates to Cirno's Advanced Math Class...Excuse me."

He got up and headed outside, leaving his Mood Music Maker with Aster. Since it was an item connected to him, he could track it if he got lost. As for why he didn't take it with him to look for the character the song was for, he figured that he wouldn't need it. She easily stood out in a crowd with how she looked. Exiting the fast food place, he looked around the street for his target. He spotted her some ways down on the other side of the street. Considering her bright blue colors and the shards of ice that floated along behind her, you'd have to be blind to miss her.

Of course he chased after her, pushing his way through the uncaring throng of people as they scurried about their daily lives. Because he would seriously hurt anyone he touched as a result of the incredible speed he moved at, he couldn't use his Accelerator to close the distance so in his hurry, he ignored stop signs and traffic to get to her. After following her for several minutes, he managed to get close enough to say.

"Cirno!"

She stopped walking and turned to see who had called her name. It took her by surprise when she saw that it wasn't someone she knew.

"Who are you?" She asked as Kyle caught up. Kyle held up a finger to indicate a need for a moment as he tried to catch his breath.

"My name's Kyle," he said when he had recovered a bit. "I'm tracking down former Gensokyo residents."

"Gensokyo?" Cirno reacted by turning the rest of her to face Kyle with a shocked look on her face. They had stopped walking in front of an alleyway, the rest of the world could have disappeared for all the attention the two of them gave it. Cirno's face took on a look of utter sadness. "Oh, what I'd give to be able to go back there...I haven't felt right since I left."

Kyle stood there silently, not knowing what to say to the grown up ice fairy. After a few moments, Cirno sighed before saying, "Anyway, why are you looking for former Gensokyo residents?"

Giving himself a moment to answer, Kyle replied, "Well, to some degree, it's Yukari's plan. The rest, I wanted to meet you. You and Hong Meiling are my favorite Gensokyo girls...but to see you in states like this..."

Cirno puzzled on that a bit, "Yukari...Yakumo? What kind of plan does the Mistress of Boundaries have that requires Gensokyo residents?"

Kyle shrugged in response, "I don't know, she didn't tell me...If I remember correctly, her exact words were, 'With what I have in mind, They'll all want in on it'. All I can assume is that the plan will involve vengeance on the person responsible for removing the Gensokyo barrier."

"So that's why your looking to round up all the unnatural beings that made their nest in an isolated daydream. I might as well not have shown up to give this demonstration," came a disembodied voice came out. Out of nowhere appeared Cerebrum. All passing pedestrians avoided walking into her, but she might as well have not been there at all for all they noticed a woman suddenly materializing out of thin air. Kyle could immediately tell that she was dangerous, his body reacting by placing himself in front of Cirno.

Cerebrum saw this display and scoffed, "I have no interest in unnatural bugs. The only reason I'm here is to give you a warning." She pulled an intricate card out of a pocket. Kyle could figure out what she was going to do, so he turned on his heel to pick up Cirno before heading down the alley. However, he hadn't even been running for a minute when he hit a deadend. Before he could turn around to look for another path, he heard Cirno gasp as Cerebrum stepped in the way. Gently setting her down, he turned to face the Sue while pulling the Omni-weapon out from where he put it on his suit.

The Sue's expression was unreadable as Kyle held up his hand to point the sphere at her. A few seconds passed. With the speed of a bullet, a spike-like tendril shot out of the sphere towards the Sue. A clang of metal on metal rang out in the empty alleyway as the cloaked figure placed himself between the tendril and the Sue. The figure's hand was also raised...and it too held a metal sphere as that was what blocked the attack. Unlike Kyle's Omni-weapon, this one was about 6 inches in diameter and was a gunmetal grey color. The bodyguard stepped aside as the spike retracted.

"Well, you aren't making this warning easy. Looks like you want to get hurt." The Sue casually spoke. She held up the card, which started glowing. "Perfection Sign: Blades of the Divine!"

Kyle had only a nanosecond to react as swarms of spinning, ethereal scimitars burst from the card. The Omni-weapon's metal spread out in a half-dome in an attempt to block the oncoming cutters. Unfortunately for Kyle, the blades were truly ethereal, bypassing the Omni-weapon to slash across his body.

* * *

Everyone watching the monitor gasped as the blades plowed into Kyle continuously. Though no damage appeared outside of his body, though his body was tensed and his teeth were grit, so it was obvious to anyone looking at him that he was in pain. They could see Cirno cowering behind him, his body preventing the blades from harming her.

"Why haven't we gone to help yet!" Adrian yelled at the people on monitor duty.

One of them spoke up, "I don't know what's going on. Every time we connect a plothole to that world, it directs to Gensokyo. It's not even registering the city."

"What the heck is going on!" Adrian muttered as he focused on the screen. All the people there could do was watch until the stream of ethereal cutters stopped. They watched as the Onmi-weapon's shield retracted and Kyle collapsed.

* * *

"Painful, isn't it." Cerebrum taunted at the fallen Agent. "It's good for you that my warning card can't kill a person. After all, it doesn't really cut them, it just makes their body feel as if they were getting sliced apart. So it basically fills them with pain until they wish they were dead!"

She started laughing as she and her bodyguard walked away. Cirno looked on in fright as Kyle just lay there. Slowly, she crawled over to him. In a hushed whisper, she asked.

"Are you alright! Please, say something!" Her pleading seemed to work as he started moving.

"Note to self; ethereal blades hurt." Kyle muttered as he pushed himself to a sitting position. He took a few deep breaths and then he turned his head to look at Cirno. "None of them got you?"

She shook her head. He sighed in relief as she looked at him curiously.

"You felt the entire time of that Spell Card. How were you able to withstand it? You didn't even scream!"

He remained silent for several moments. Then he turned to face her fully, "It was painful, but I've had some experience with levels of pain like that before. For instance, I have a transformation that restructures my whole body to degrees that human bodies aren't supposed to go. That barrage probably felt worse, but I can't really compare them as they both hurt like heck."

It took some effort, but Kyle managed to stand up...barely. He almost fell down again, but Cirno caught him. Kyle gave her a weak smile.

"I'm both glad and annoyed that you don't have your powers now." Cirno gave him a strange look before he continued, "Glad because if you did have them, I'd be freezing right now. Annoyed because your ice powers would ease the aches left by that Spell Card."

Cirno sighed at the reminder that she was currently as helpless as the next human compared to the power she just witnessed. She carried him down the alley back to the main street, where Kyle told Cirno to take him to the nearby fast food place.

* * *

"Adrian...Is what Kyle said true? About his, what was it, Soul Form transformation?" asked Marcus, who had entered around the time of Cerebrum's Spell Card. Adrian answered with a flashback.

**FLASHBACK**

_After Kyle had recovered from his trip into the Samurai Pizza Cats fandom, Phoenixia and the Leaders met with him in the medical ward. When he asked why, they told him that they wanted to test how the Soul Form affected him compared to the Heaven and Earth, Worldly Secret Art. Kyle shrugged, saying his energy levels were lower than usual due to just recovering so his Soul Form wouldn't be that much bigger than he was and thus it wouldn't be the even near the same level as the mission. They told him that it didn't matter, tests at smaller power could be used to estimate things at a higher power. Kyle took off all his clothes, which earned a quip from Phoenixia about him never doing that for her, and braced himself like he did during the mission._

_Valerie was present, as it was the MEDICAL WARD, to make sure that he wouldn't be in any danger. When the process started, she screamed for all of three seconds before passing out. That was the first sign of all the changes that happen when he shifts. The next one was Kyle himself screaming. Apparently, in his still weakened state, he couldn't keep himself from screaming either. It was a dreadful, partially human scream as his vocal cords were also changing. It was shortly cut off as his body was changing from a humanoid one to that of his Soul Image. Sounds of bones shifting and cracking could be heard throughout this. After about a minute of this, the transformation was complete and then Kyle promptly collapsed into unconsciousness, his form not changing back._

**END FLASHBACK**

Everyone in the room was shivering from the flashback imagery and sounds. Marcus finally managed to say, "Well, that explains why I didn't see him the day he was supposed to be released."

Adrian merely nodded before saying, "He has a whole list of Dangerous Forbidden Techniques and they all take their toll on him. Sooner or later."

* * *

Aster was starting to worry. Between the unexpected sadness in Kyle's eyes and his sudden rushing off, Aster wasn't sure he was alright. That worrying was added to by Hong Meiling, though most likely not for the same reasons. When Cirno appeared while doing her best to keep Kyle standing, the Fae and former gate guardian rushed over to help. They quickly got him over to a chair before asking him what happened. Cirno explained about the Sue appearing and hitting him with a minute long Spell Card. As her explanation was winding down, Kyle suddenly shot out both hands and accessed his Astral Vault. He pulled out a pill bottle for aches and pains and something to wash it down with. He popped a couple of pills before chugging most of the drink in one breath.

Setting the drink down and returning the bottle of pills, Kyle finally spoke up, if a bit tiredly, "There's something confusing me."

He looked at the others, who were giving him their attention, and said, "Instead of trying to actually take me out, the Sue just used the attack as a warning."

"A warning of what?" was Aster's question.

Kyle, Hong Meiling and Cirno could only shake their heads as they couldn't see the answer to that question.

* * *

Well, here's the third chapter...after all that wait. If you find the Soul Form transformation scene shocking, then I did my job. I remembered a PM review I got that said that the first time I showed the transformation, it didn't seem like it was all that painful. Well, here's a more accurate indication then. Anyway, here's to hoping that I can get the next chapter up faster.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4

* * *

**

"Here, this is my apartment. It's not much, but it's home," were Cirno's words as she brought Hong Meiling and the Agents in. It was rather non-descript and empty, the living room where they first come in only having a plain blue couch in front of a relatively small TV. Behind the couch is a counter that leads straight into the one person kitchen. On the inside wall close to the kitchen is two doors; one leading to the bathroom while the other leads to the bedroom with a small stand between them. A picture was hung above it on the wall, with enough glare from nearby light to hide the image it contains. Opposite the inside wall, on the other side of the kitchen, was a sliding glass door to a balcony.

Hong Meiling was in awe, as she hadn't had a place to live since the Scarlet Devil Mansion was abandoned. Aster immediately grabbed the TV remote and started looking for some anime to watch. Kyle facepalmed at the Fae before walking over to the kitchen. That's when the picture caught his eye, the glare from the light hiding its content from the audience's eyes. As he looked at this picture, he got this smile on his face as he started chuckling. The former ice fairy glanced over, from listening to Aster grump about the lack of anime on the TV, at the male Agent to see what he found funny. She was surprised to see him staring at her picture. Almost in a daze, she practically floated over to him.

Kyle heard her approach, so he looked over at her. He was still chuckling a bit as he pointed to the picture and said, "You has a bucket!"

The glare hiding it from the audience was gone and in its place was a picture of four children with variable degrees of happiness on their faces. Two were immediately identifiable as a young Cirno and Wriggle. The other two were a blonde girl in a black dress with a ribbon in her hair while the other one had pinkish hair with small wings on her back in a brown dress. Just as Kyle had said, the Cirno in the picture had a metal bucket on her head. The combination of seeing the picture, Kyle's comment and chuckling caused Cirno herself joined in.

Their chuckling lasted for a little while, Aster ignored them after an initial glance in their direction while Meiling joined the Fae on the couch. When they finally got their chuckles under control again, Cirno gave the male Agent a smile and said, "Thanks, it had been a long time since I was able to do that. The world I seem to live in doesn't allow for it."

"I know what that's like." Came Kyle's reply. Just then, Kyle's Music Maker turned on. An otherworldly rock song started playing. Kind of surprisingly, as soon as the song started playing, Hong Meiling hopped off the couch with an angry look on her face.

"Lunar Clock - Luna Dial...That flat-chested maid!" She immediately rushed to and opened up the balcony door. Meiling paused for a moment, seemingly searching for something, before just jumping right off. Everyone rushed over to see if she was alright, only to see her rapidly making her way down the street towards a vague blue-dressed person. The visor Kyle used earlier dropped out of another hole for him to use. In augmented reality, he could see the person clearly; dressed in a blue maids outfit with her silver hair in braids.

"Sakuya Izayoi! Head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion! A regular knife nut that can manipulate time." The visor disappeared into its hole. Without looking at her, he said, "Aster, please stay here while I go after them. I'll need you here in case I get lost."

Before she could ask for what he meant, he leapt over the rail himself. As he chased after Meiling, Aster stood there in a typical anime sulk.

"Mou, I can understand why he left me at that burger place, but why's he running off after that China girl? He'll have to give me a dozen boxes of Pocky to make it up to me!"

Cirno looked at the Society Fae curiously, "You're a fairy, aren't you?"

Aster's expression didn't change as she turned her head away from the former Ice Fairy and stated, "I'm not a 'fairy', I'm a Fae!"

* * *

Marcus had settled in to watch the mission proceed with Adrian and the others on monitor duty. They were watching the scene above when Marcus asked, "Wait, why did Kyle say that he needed Aster there if he got lost?"

Ben, having been forced to sit down and watch some monitors without listening to his music, thought for a moment before continuing that line of thinking. "Yeah, according to the monitor I was watching, he could track down the Mood Music Maker because of its ties to his emotional state. While he took it with him there, couldn't he have left something else that he could track?"

As the Librarian was the only one present that knew the most about Kyle's abilities, Adrian answered, "While it is possible for Kyle to track energy, there are certain limits to it. First, he has to be aware that the energy is there in the first place and it has to be non-living. For example, drawing energy out of a streetlight is much easier than trying to determine where power cables are underneath the street. Also, even if he is aware of where energy is, if he is out of sight of this energy and then loses track of it somehow, he won't be able to find it again."

Marcus took that as his cue to continue the questioning, "But that doesn't explain why he would be able to track Aster's energy. How does he do that?"

Adrian's expression darkened as the answer to that came from the time that Pseudo-Tash had temporarily turned the Society against him, "How many of you were here when Pseudo-Tash had switched places with Real Tash?" He waited for the hands to show before continuing. "When Pseudo-Tash had convinced everyone that I had attacked the 'real' Tash, Kyle had activated the first stage of his Heaven and Earth, Worldly Secret Art out of rage. While he later came up to me and apologized, he also admitted, in his own words, that triggering the Art like that was an absolutely moronic thing to do as control is required to keep from burning out too quickly. Since it was stage one, the loss was minute. Anyway, as he had explained it to me, even though it was just stage one, the Art allowed him to sense the unique energy tags of everyone within a certain distance of his epicenter. Once he acquires those tags, he can focus on them if they're within the same fandom."

Ben was a bit overwhelmed by the implications of this, but another question popped into his mind, "Does that mean he also acquired Pseudo-Tash's energy tag?"

The Librarian nodded, "I had asked him that as well. He confirmed it and then said the Sue's tag made him feel like he was mildly, but constantly, sick. It'll probably only stop once she's dead or prohibited."

Marcus spoke up once more, "So, he constantly knows where all of these tags are?"

"Only when he consciously focuses on them. From what he told me, it's like being in the same room as a person who is rooms away. I had asked him how that works for the Sue tag and his reply was, 'Like being in the same room as someone who constantly has to be the center of attention'...Don't worry, his sanity is closely monitored now."

All the people on monitor duty sat there in silence before Ben said, "The more you know."

* * *

_Well, this is a pain! _Kyle thought as he finally caught up with Hong Meiling and Sakuya Izayoi. They were currently standing in the hallway of a somewhat rundown apartment complex. Well, Hong Meiling and Kyle were standing. When the former gate tender had reached Sakuya, she straight out punched her. That's the scene Kyle came across, Sakuya on the ground, rubbing a fresh bruise on her face with wide eyes while Hong Meiling panted from both the run and her anger as she stood in a "I just punched you" pose.

"Ho-Hong Meiling?" The maid sputtered in utter surprise and shock. Her tone definitely didn't sit well with the former guard.

"What? Surprised that I'm still alive? You human pencilboard!" Hong Meiling seethed as she towered over the maid. "My life has practically been Hell since that spoiled brat vampire fired me just before leaving! I considered you my only friend in that thankless job, but even you left me to rot!"

Sakuya finally snapped out of her shock and stood up, indignity apparent as she verbally retaliated, "It's not my fault you were left behind! I would have taken you, but I wasn't told what would happen to the rest of the staff! Lady Remilia only told me to take Lady Flandre and run! So don't take what you've been through out on me, I've had my own hell to deal with!"

They broke into an argument that looked like they were about to come to blows. Kyle got tired of it after a minute or two, so he placed himself between them with his hands up in a stopping gesture.

"That's enough, ladies. This argument is pointless." At that moment, the apartment they were standing in front of opened and out came a young woman. She wore a short red dress, with a pink shirt underneath a red vest and had a pink mop hat on her head. Out of her back was a pair of metal rods with various colors of prism shards hanging from them, making them look like small wings.

"You're all being too noisy!" She snapped in a voice that sounded half tired and half ticked off. Kyle recognized her immediately, as did Hong Meiling. Flandre Scarlet, younger sister to Remilia Scarlet. Her eyes focused entirely on the blue-dressed maid. "Sakuya, is it time to eat yet?"

"Flandre!" Hong Meiling gasped in surprise. She was looking over the vampire's older self as if she hadn't expected such a change. For her part, Flandre gave Meiling a once over too before recognition showed in her eyes.

"You're that gatekeeper Sis had hired to guard the front gate. Hong Meiling, wasn't it?" When the Chinese Youkai nodded, the vampire looked over at the male Agent. She tilted her head a bit before straightening out and saying, "And who's this?"

Hong Meiling cleared her throat before introducing him, "This is my current employer, Kyle. He works for this group that comes to worlds like ours and takes care of problems that changes them from what they had been."

"That sounds about right." Kyle remarked with a thinking expression on his face.

* * *

Back at Cirno's apartment, Aster and Cirno were having a conversation. They were sitting on the couch, Cirno at the right end and Aster on the left.

"So, before Gensokyo lost it's magic, you had power over ice?" Aster asked with a bit of awe in her voice.

"That's correct," Cirno answered with a giggle. "Back then, I used to say 'I am the strongest.' In many ways, it was true. I was the strongest fairy in Gensokyo. Heck, if I was actually fighting at my best and not acting like the child I looked like, I could even give some of the stronger Youkai a run for their money."

"'Acting like the child you looked like'? You mean, you were so powerful while just a kid?" Aster looked at the older woman with surprise and respect.

Cirno just laughed at both the look and question. After getting herself under control, she responded, "No, nothing like that. While I don't recall my age as a Fairy, I do remember being well over sixty years old. It was just, because I was a Fairy, I had the appearance, personality, and temperament of a child. Because of all that, I was usually treated as an idiot by any of the more mature residents that passed by my house."

Aster adopted an understanding look as she sat there. When the images of certain people popped into her head for reasons she couldn't think of, she asked, "Did you have anyone you looked up to?"

Cirno sighed as a smiling face came to the forefront of her memories. Tears welled up as she spoke "Yes. Her name was Letty Whiterock. As the Spirit of Winter, I looked up to her as she had control over the cold that only came with maturity and experience. To Fairies like me, she was as close to a mother figure as we could get. I miss her."

* * *

At Cerebrum's penthouse, the Sue was having a drink of wine while her bodyguard stood back a bit. After taking a sip, she questioned the cloaked man over her shoulder, "Have you found out if my warning stuck to that Society guy?"

"Not yet," came the monotone reply. "My network of spies has lost track of them. It seems like I'll have to expand it again."

The Sue stared into her wineglass in thought before saying, "As long as he was protecting that unnatural creature, I could have killed him easily. However, that man is responsible for the deaths of two dear friends of mine. If he hasn't gone back to that Library in shame, then I'm going to give him a death so brutal that anyone else from that Society won't even think to look in the direction of this fandom!"

Almost like it was for emphasis, she threw her wineglass into the fireplace and caused the flames to flare up from the alcohol.

* * *

Once again with Kyle's group, the explanations had finished. Hong Meiling wasn't furious at Sakuya anymore, plus the maid and vampire understood Kyle's mission and Yukari's request. When it started getting late, Kyle remembered that Aster and Cirno were waiting for him and Hong Meiling to get back. Sakuya then asked if there was a way for them to keep in contact. Kyle thought about it and then said that the best he could do at the moment was giving them each one of the cards he gave Wriggle. After an explanation about being able to track the cards that would just bog the plot down, Kyle and Meiling headed back to Cirno's apartment.

As soon as Aster saw him again, however, she stormed up to him and demanded a dozen boxes of Pocky to make up for him leaving her behind. With a sigh, Kyle responded, "How about I give you one box for every day that we're here and then give you the rest when we return to the Library...Deal?"

"Why should I accept such an agreement?" Aster countered with her hands on her hips. By this time, Hong Meiling had gone into the bedroom to lie down.

"Because giving you a dozen boxes right now would hinder your arms as well as put you at risk for a major sugar high which would interfere with the mission and get us both yelled at." Kyle got out in one breath.

Aster seemed to consider this for a moment before saying, somewhat reluctantly, "Fine, but only so I won't get in trouble."

With that acknowledgement, Kyle nodded and pulled a box of strawberry Pocky out of his Astral Vault. Aster immediately snatched it and walked away. Kyle sighed before sitting down on the couch. Cirno had watched the exchange from the kitchen as she was making dinner. From over the counter, she spoke, "She's a good girl, but quite the handful."

"Don't get me started on the kinds of trouble she makes at HQ," Kyle replied warily. He let his body relax into the padding before continuing, "Eh, this has been quite a day for me. I'll be very sore in the morning."

Cirno was silent as she was putting the finishing touches on dinner before it goes into the oven. After she set a timer, she went over and sat down by the tired Agent. It took a minute or so, but she finally spoke up.

"I have to thank you for protecting me from that spell card," the former Fairy's tone turned reflective as she continued. "It's been the first act of kindness I've had in a long time. Just the fact that my presence has been acknowledged as more than an employee or coworker has given me hope for what may come."

A faint, tired smile crossed Kyle's face as he replied, "As long as they are not forgotten by the minds of others, the living and dead have worth."

Cirno looked at Kyle with a bit of confusion, "I don't quite get what you said. Were you trying to cheer me up?"

Kyle weakly chuckled, "Yeah. It's not often that I show that kind of side."

Cirno gave him a small smile in response and said, "Thank you, then. You have no idea how much having someone to talk to helps me."

He probably would have made a comment about that, but he was letting his tiredness carry him away. The former fairy just let him rest. After all, he did shield her from the ethereal blades when she wasn't the target.

* * *

Meanwhile, the monotone bodyguard was doing his best to hold back rage. Now that Hong Meiling had agreed to serve Kyle and got her homeless friends to assist her, he was having trouble getting the homeless to serve as his eyes and ears in the city. Apparently helping her out was a bigger reward to them than the money the cloaked figure offered them. Though he scowled underneath the hood of his cloak, he did nothing except walk away.

As he walked back towards his employer's penthouse, he pulled out his sphere and gazed at it. An unseen smile crossed his mouth before he started talking to himself.

"I cannot wait for the word to strike. Killing him will prove the superiority of the Sues. After all, that is my new purpose in life."

A humorless chuckle could be heard from him as he deftly maneuvered through the crowded street and into his mistress's building.

* * *

I'm not sure if I can get any more out for this chapter. Anyway, read and review.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Aster woke up the next morning shortly before the sun came up. She was inside Cirno's bedroom, which was as barren as the rest of the house. Just a bed large enough for two people if they stay close, a small dresser for clothes and a vanity. Cirno let Aster sleep on the bed with her while Hong Meiling slept on the carpet. When asked, the Chinese woman had said that having a carpet to sleep on was a step up from the hard concrete. Anyway, Aster slipped off the bed without waking either Touhou character, but as she reached for the door, she heard a soft, ambient tune. Carefully, she opened the door and the song got louder. It took only a few steps towards the living room to see what the source of the music was.

There on the floor, listening to his Music Maker, was Kyle. He sat cross-legged between the TV and couch, but what was most interesting about this was the globules of light that floated around him in tandem to the music. A few more steps and Aster could see Kyle's was holding the Omni-weapon with in his lap. The lights around him moved fluidly, like the insides of a lava lamp, to the ethereal song as they disappeared and reappeared from the sphere as parts of the song came in or faded away. By this time, Aster was almost directly in front of Kyle, allowing her to see that his eyes were closed almost like he was sleeping.

"Pretty," Aster quietly spoke in awe of the spectacle before her. Immediately after that, Kyle's eyes opened up and the globules of light vanished into the sphere. While the Fae expressed disappointment at the display disappearing, Kyle stood up and stretched before putting the sphere away and turning off his Music Maker. Now curious, Aster questioned her fellow Agent. "What was that just now?"

Kyle walked into the kitchen before he answered, "Practice. One of the most effective ways for me to train without causing damage or needing space and effort."

Not really satisfied by the answer, Aster continued, "Why hasn't anyone else from the Society seen you do that before?"

The glasses-wearing Agent paused in his search for food, "Because of the complexity of that display, I need almost perfect undiluted concentration. If anything other than my music reaches my ears, my focus slips and I lose my grasp of the energy."

Aster apparently understood, as she stopped bothering him so she could go watch the TV. Since he was left alone, Kyle continued his adventures in the kitchen. Shortly thereafter, Meiling came out in a half-awake stupor just as Kyle found some cereal. As Kyle and Meiling made a bowl for themselves, Cirno came out of her room too.

* * *

"Kyaa, I'm BORED! Why are we going this way?" Some hours after leaving Cirno's apartment, the Agents were walking towards a long set of steps with Hong Meiling as their city guide. At the top of the steps was a faded Torii gate, indicating the location of a Shinto shrine that wasn't being taken care of.

"Just a theory I have," was Kyle's response. "You see, there are two priestesses I know of from Gensokyo. From what I've seen of this place so far, most of the Gensokyo folk are going to be in places that are on the low end of things. Thus, look for the least visited shrines and we should find them."

Sure enough, about half way up the stairs Kyle's Music Maker turned on. It took a moment, but Kyle identified the song as the theme song of Reimu Hakurei, Mystic Oriental Love Consultation. However, there was another song that started up in harmony with it. It took a bit longer than the other song because of the dualplay, but Kyle eventually declared it to be the theme song of Sanae Kochiya, Faith is for the Transient People.

Much to everyone's annoyance, the entwined songs stopped playing shortly after being indentified and two more themes took their place. Since he didn't want to bother indentifying those two songs, Kyle just growled in frustration and finished marching up the stairs. The shrine he came upon was definitely showing signs of disrepair, but he ignored that as he walked up to the front door and opened it. His face went from annoyance to dull surprise at the four women sitting at a table in the front room.

He recognized all of them. The first one looked as old as Cirno while dressed in a faded red and white Miko garb. Across from her was a woman who was still old, but appeared younger than the first, and dressed in a similar, if less formal, blue and white garb. Sitting to the red Miko's left, which is also the Blue Miko's right for the people who have a hard time with the direction of limbs, was a young girl in a mostly blue dress and a hat with two eyes on top. Strangest thing about that girl was her grey eyes that held an agelessness that Kyle had only noticed in Adrian's eys.

From his knowledge, Kyle could assume the same about the final girl. She hadn't turned around when he opened the door, but he knew who had deep blue hair, red dress and a giant circle of Shimenawa and Shide on her back. After a moment of the other girls looking at Kyle, she finally turned around to reveal dark red eyes. Shortly after that, both Aster and Hong Meiling caught up.

"So...one of these is Reimu and another is Sanae?" Aster asked upon seeing the group at the table.

"The miko in red is Reimu and the miko in blue is Sanae," Hong Meiling replied as she indicated each person. "The two remaining people are the goddesses, Kanako Yasaka and Suwako Moriya."

Upon seeing her for the first time in years, Reimu got a look of surprise and exclaimed, "Oh, you're that Scarlet Devil manor gatekeeper! Hong Meiling, isn't it?"

The former youkai guardian felt happy that she was remembered by the miko after all this time. With a pleased confirmation, she introduced her new employers and why they were here right now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cirno was taking a stroll through the park that Kyle and Aster had visited previously. While she should have been at her workplace, she called in a sick day. The events of the previous day were heavy on her mind. After all, she was told that Gensokyo would return to normal once the Agents had finished their mission. Anyway, she was walking along a pathway when she spotted a woman sitting down that looked familiar.

The woman was blonde while wearing a long black dress with a white shirt underneath. In her hair was a small ribbon tied into a bow. Cirno froze instantly upon realizing who she was seeing, but as some tears reached her eyes, she approached the woman and spoke.

"Rumia...You're Rumia, aren't you?" The blonde woman wouldn't look at Cirno, waving her hand dismissively.

"Yes, yes, I'm Rumia. Who doesn't want to talk with the heiress of a car company. Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I bother leaving the house when I'm always bothered by the random passerby." She'd huff a bit as she sat there, but otherwise not be dismissive of the person who just spoke to her.

"Rumia," Cirno would hesitate a bit, but then continue. "It's me. It's Cirno!"

"Yes, yes, you're Cir...WHAT!" The blonde stood up and whipped around to face the ice fairy. Despite the difference in appearance since she last saw her, Rumia identified her old friend instantly. They would just stare at each other, tears of happiness streaking down their cheeks. After a few minutes of just standing there, they closed the space between them and hugged, as hard as they could to prove to themselves that they weren't dreaming. However, even their embrace didn't stem the flow from their eyes.

Several minutes later, they finally separated and sat down on the bench. They sat in mostly silence, considering they probably didn't know what to say to each other after so long. After a while, they'd start talking about what they've been up to since they split and how their lives were going at that point. It was surprising for them at how easy they could talk to each other after so long. When they were running out of catching up, Cirno then remembered the Agents who had spent the night. She mentioned the powers witnessed in an alleyway the previous day, the man who defended her from the possible stray attacks of the vastly powerful Sue.

Rumia reacted in surprise of the tale, sitting there in silence for a couple moments. As their friendly silence stretched out, some music started up nearby. It was wordless; no voices. only the instruments. Sad and somber, the song was drawing in a small crowd. Now curious, Cirno and Rumia stood up and approached the group. Most of the people were sitting, but they weren't about to get a good look at the performers until they got closer. The pair recognized the musicians immediately from the times they would play music in their area of Gensokyo, the Prismriver sisters. They sat beside the park's fountain, three women with indentical clothes save for color and obvious age differences.

First, there was the youngest looking, Lyrica Prismriver, dressed in red and played a keyboard. The middle one, Merlin Prismriver, wore white and was playing a trumpet. Then, there was the oldest, Lunasa Prismriver, dressed in black and her instrument was the violin. After their song was over, they thanked everyone who listened and started to pack up. As the crowd dispersed, Cirno and Rumia approached them, causing the sisters to gasp as they recognized people from Gensokyo.

* * *

"And that's the current situation." Hong Meiling finished with. The two mikos and kamis had looks of surprise on their faces as the story concluded. Looking amongs each other, they then turned to Kyle and Aster.

"What do you need our help with?" Kyle remained silent as Aster stared at him too, reflecting the similar sentiments.

"Mostly, I'm curious about what Yukari has in mind with this plan of hers, though I'm sure I have some idea of what she's going to do." He answered with a shrug. Before anything else could be said, Kyle's Music Maker started another song and then the door opened.

"I'm home..." A tired voice muttered loudly. Kyle looked down at the Music Maker and then at the person behind him. Staring at him with tired eyes was a woman as old as Reimu, wearing a tattered black dress with white frills and a white apron. On her head was a somewhat torn black witch hat. Her eyes snapped open when the music seemed to register. "LOVE COLOERED MASTER SPARK! MY SONG! MY SONG IS PLAYING!"

She then tackle-hugged the source of the music, Kyle, with glee on her face and wouldn't let go. After several minutes of trying to calm her down, everyone was sitting down around the table while Hong Meiling once again explained why they were there.

When she was done, Marisa exclaimed, "I could easily regain my power if the mushroooms I harvested for my potions hadn't vanished! Without that, I can't even access the power of my Hakkero!"

At the mention of her handheld mini furnace, she pulled it out of her dress and stared at it with tears in her eyes. "I can't use it! My precious little Hakkero!" She hugged it to her chest and the tears started flowing.

Aster was baffled by her behavior when Reimu explained, "Marisa was something of a packrat in Gensokyo, which means she had to leave a lot of things behind when the barrier disappeared. That's all she really has left, the only thing to last the years we've had without our powers. It's also the one thing we've found that hasn't lost its power, but without power of our own, it's just a fancy handwarmer."

Marisa started balling her eyes out at that comment. Kyle was looking over when he made a comment.

"Too bad there's only the one. I'd love to have an infinite source of energy like that. I can feel its power like a beacon, now that I've seen it." That got several sets of eyes on him, which he felt and turned around to look back. "What?"

The red dressed goddess then exclaimed, "You have power while we don't! What is...What is it you can do!"

The male Agent shrugged lazily before saying, "Just able to sense and manipulate energy I can understand within a small radius of myself. Anyone can learn to do it if they learned the Art I've learned."

Five pairs of eyes were facing him with begging looks on their faces as they said in unison, "Can you teach us that Art? Please?"

Kyle closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. When they asked why he wouldn't, he responded with.

"The Art I learned is very dangerous. It grants power that Mortals shouldn't have at the expense of their lifespan. I can't, in good conscience, train anyone to wield it."

Aster then spoke up, in a rather annoyed tone, "Are you all done with your pity party? Because we have a mission to finish!"

The male Agent shook his head to clear it and then stood up. When he did, everyone else stood up too. Both Agents were surprised, but the red miko merely looked determined when she said, "I was a Youkai Hunter when not maintaining the Hakurei Shrine! I'll never forgive myself if I don't do something to help you two stop that monster that did this to all of Gensokyo!"

All the other Touhou character agreed with that sentiment. In the excitement, they were all going down the stairs to the shrine when Marisa spoke up, "Okay, so we're going after the person responsible for all this. What's the plan?"

Everyone paused as they didn't know what the Agents had planned. Kyle answered after a moment of silence.

"Eirin...We're going to search for Eirin Yagokoro!"

Marisa and Reimu instantly knew who that was, as they asked, "You're going to look for the Genius of Medicine? Why her, specifically?"

He shrugged, "Not completely sure. Just a hunch that she may have an idea of how to bypass the power nullification. After all, Gensokyo's barrier being dropped shouldn't have done anything of this magnitude. Yukari can't even return this world without her powers going away, so there must be something intentionally negating your powers!"

The Touhou girls looked at each other and agreed that finding Eirin was probably one of the few ideas that might get them help in regaining their powers. So, that was the plan, seek out and ask help from the ancient Genius of Medicine.


	6. Chapter 6

Author note: I intend for this to be the last chapter, which means I'll be speeding through plot points I had been planning on making full scenes out of.

**Final Chapter**

**Anti-Cliché and Mary Sue Elimination Society**

The screen at the Society's monitor had suddenly gone blank. Several minutes of furious typing and other checks into the computer's functionality, no problems were found before a feminine voice spoke up, "Calm down everyone. I just decided to fast forward your computers a bit."

Everyone turned around to see the smiling face of Yukari Yakumo standing by the monitor room doorway. Of the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, Adrian's was definitely the biggest.

"How did you get in here?! All of the Library Arcanum's defenses should have kept you out!" To the current Librarian, someone who could bypass the magical wards protecting the Library so easily is both shocking and seriously dangerous.

"I'm the mistress of boundaries," She answered matter-of-fact. "Time, space, even concepts are playthings for me."

By now, the mighty Librarian had recovered from the shock and said, "Be that as it may, what do you mean when you said that you decided to fast forward the computers?"

"Look for yourself," she said with a gesture towards the monitors. The screens were back to normal and they were showing Kyle and Aster standing in the middle of a non-sandy desert at the front of a large group of women, several of which the people in the room had seen before the fast forward. "For them, they still experienced the whole time, but since the Author decided that it was taking too long, I sped things up for him."

When the fourth wall rumbled, Adrian reflexively shouted, "Aster!" Realizing that she was currently on that mission, he blushed with embarrassment while several people in the room chuckled about it.

While the Librarian recomposed himself, Marcus asked, "could we at least see the important events that happened up til now?"

Yukari thought it over...or she was listening to someone, no one could tell either way...before saying, "Sure, it's not a problem."

She waved a hand towards the monitors. All but one of them, which stayed with the scene she had fast forwarded it to, started showing Kyle, Aster and the Touhou characters they had met up with earlier were currently standing inside a run-down junk shop, facing a silver-haired man in somewhat grungy blue robes.

"You mean, it's possible that Gensokyo can be restored? I could go back to my old shop?" The silver-haired man asked with hope and awe. Kyle nodded, to which Rinnosuke then said, "Go ahead, take anything you want from here. Whatever it takes to get me back!"

Kyle himself seemed torn, as he looked around the piles of stuff in and around the shop. After a moment, he signed and explained what he thought Yukari was up to and what their current plan was. Rinnosuke paused before taking a thinking position. Another moment passed before the shopkeeper decided on something.

"Alright then. I think I have an idea on how to help you with that. Since it's not open yet, how about you go and pick anything you want from the heaps around here? I'll be closing up shop in a couple of hours, so take your time."

As the group split up to look for anything they might want, however meaningless it might actually be in the end, the screens jumped to Cirno and her increasing bunch. After convincing the Prismriver Sisters to join up with her by telling them about the Society's Agents, the three mystical musicians told the former ice fairy about some of the regulars at a club they'd sometimes play at that were also former residents of Gensokyo. Following up on that, Cirno's group headed there. It was kind of small, but was ordinary all the same. However, it was open and inside the group would found a rather unlikely duo. One was a youngish looking two-tailed catgirl in a red dress and the other was a much older looking woman in a reddish brown and white dress with a matching cap and a strange pair of wings on her back. Cirno and Rumia recognized the latter of the pair easily, rushing over and glomping her. This knocked her out of her chair and caused a commotion before all three stood up.

The woman was a bit angry at being tackled like that, but surprise took over and was then replaced by the same emotions that had possessed them earlier. She'd grab them in a grouphug and start sobbing. The other patrons there watched this reunion, having been startled by the tackle but now it's been replaced by something far more heartwarming as the friends hugged. After her tears were spent, the older woman was identified as Mystia and the younger looking one was identified as Chen. As Cirno talked to the pair about the Agents, the screens would shift to Kyle's group again.

Here, they were inside a nightclub...no, I'm not going into any further details. Why? Because I don't feel like it!

"Calm down, Narrator. You're not doing any favors by being snappy." Yukari spoke up, the fourth wall rumbling in response.

"Why do people seem to insist on doing that?" Adrian said, apparently not going with the running gag for now.

"Anyway, the story's not rated M, so it wouldn't be right to get into any greater detail. Yes readers, it's that kind of nightclub." Another rumble and the Librarian just put his face into his hands with a sigh. Anyway, silly breaking the fourth wall scenes aside, Rinnosuke lead Kyle's group over to a bar section of the club. Its tender was a blonde haired woman, dressed in a similar style to Yukari though the hat she wore looked like it was designed to resemble fox ears with white tassals on the ends. Which fit her as she had nine golden fox tails fanned out behind her.

Of course, Kyle recognized her too, "You're Ran Yakumo, Yukari's Shikigami! It's nice to meet you."

The nine-tailed kitsune was startled that someone not only recognized her, but knew who her mistress was and how she was related. Kyle explained about Yukari contacting him and how she had asked him and his partner to gather up as many former residents of Gensokyo as they could find.

"That sounds like my mistress alright." The humanoid kitsune commented. "So, what can I do for you?"

The Society's male agent answered that he was looking for Eirin Yagokoro. When she asked why, Kyle responded that she may have an idea on how to counter the power nullification. After all, the Sue was able to use Spell Cards and the Agents were unaffected either, so there must be more to it than the Gensokyo Boundry disappearing. Pondering over that thought, Ran spoke up.

"Well, I don't know where she could be, but I think I might know someone who does."

Another jump in time and Cirno's group had been joined by Wriggle, Sakuya and Flandre. They were all gathered at a local tea shop, having used contacts to track down other Gensokyo residents on their own. As more residents were found, the bigger the potential contact list got. Anyway, the reason that they were at this tea shop was sitting down at a table for her regular cup of tea. She wore a pink dress and matching mop hat, with small bat-like wings coming out of her back.

She hadn't quite realized that there was a crowd now focused on her, but that changed when Flandre tackle-glomped her with a cry of, "SISTER!"

The resulting surprise knocked over her tea cup. Sakuya hastily rushed over to assist the pair in getting back up. For the people who haven't figured out who the woman they wanted to meet is, or just plain don't know the fandom, it's Flandre's older sister, Remilia Scarlet. Once the reunited sisters were finished with reaquainting, the group quickly informed her about the Society and its Agents that came to deal with the Mary Sue responsible for dissolving Gensokyo.

Time skip and jump to the Agent's group, they were now in a large library. They were standing by the front desk, with a violet haired woman in what basically amounted to pink pajamas and nightgown with a matching nightcap to top it off. She was Patchouli Knowledge, an asthmatic witch hikikomori with poor overall health and a love of all things books. Taking a puff from an inhaler she had on the desk, she spoke up.

"So, let me get this straight. You and the Fae are here to defeat the person responsible for the Gensokyo border falling and to facilitate this, you are gathering the remnants of the former residents after being asked to do so by Yukari? Now, to deal with the problem of this Mary Sue and her apparent ability to use Spell Cards and everyone else not being able to do so, you came to me to see if I knew how to get ahold of Eirin?"

Kyle shrugged, "That's about the sum of it. Will you please help us?"

The shorter witch stood up as she said, "I don't know where she is directly, but I do know some people who should know. They're regular visitors and help me get medicines."

Patchouli lead the group down several rows of bookcases until they got near the back. There were two women with rabbit ears sitting there while reading books. One older-looking with a combination white dress and leather jacket and a younger-looking one in a childish pink dress. I say older and younger looking as the one in the childish dress is actually the older of the two. They are Reisen and Tewi respectively. The group brings them up to speed.

The one with the jacket, Reisen, would then inform them, "Yes, we know where Eirin is. As for if she can devise something to deal with this power nullification, I don't know. We'll have to take you to her to find out."

Again, skipping to Cirno's group. They were outside an office building, facing two women. One had wolf features, a white tail and lupine ears, while the other one looked rather human. They were both dressed in white tops and mostly black skirts, the wolf one had disconnected sleeves while the other one had a camera around her neck. The one without any obvious inhuman features was talking.

"Ayayayaya, life's not been good for Tengu like us. True stories apparently aren't all that entertaining or attention grabbing as they used to be." Aya Shameimaru, a crow Tengu, informed the icy fairy.

"You haven't even been embellishing as much as you used to. Perhaps that's why." Momiji Inubashiri, a white wolf Tiangou (A chinese Tengu), commented.

"Gossip rags don't care about Truth, Momiji! I may exaggerate on what I do find out, but I won't tell out and out falsehoods!" The birdy woman defended.

Cirno then spoke up, "Well, this much is true. There are some people who are working to allow Gensokyo to return."

Skip to the Agents...Boy, this is getting repetitive.

"Don't worry, Narrator. We're nearly caught up." The fourth wall rumbled and Adrian slumped, seemingly resigned.

"Three times in one chapter, that's got to be a record." Another rumble and Adrian winced, "Four...Dang it, now I'm getting dragged into it."

Anyway, Kyle and Aster's group was now meeting with a white haired woman in a blue and red patterned dress, wearing a blue hat with a red cross on it. The Genius of Medicine, Eirin Yagokoro.

"Figuring out how to cure the block this 'Mary Sue' inflicted on the Residents of Gensokyo was the easy part...not that it was easy, mind you. However, without any of the powers that come from Gensokyo, I haven't been able to actually make the cure."

Kyle asked if the Agents could help before explaining the respective powers he and Aster wielded, Eirin's eyebrows slowly raising.

"Well, if that's what the two of you can do, then making the Cure will be a breeze in comparison."

A fast forwarding of events then happened, showing Eirin making the medicine and then everyone being gathered in Cirno's apartment. Included are some faces that were picked up during this sequence, like; Letty Whiterock-the Winter Spirit, Lily White and Lily Black-the twin heralds of Spring, Daiyousei-a Greater Fairy like Cirno, Alice Margatroid-the Doll Magician, Utsuho Reiuji-the Nuclear powered Yatagarasu, Kaguya Houraisen-the former Moon Princess, Fujiwara no Mokou-Kaguya's eternal rival, Shikieiki Yamaxanadu-the Judge of the Dead and Komachi Onozuka-Shikieiki's shinigami servant. Yes, I realize that this is quite a number of characters.

Still, while the apartment was cramped, there was still enough room for everyone to move around in. As everyone was bonding after Eirin's miracle medicine did its job, Yukari was there and pulled Kyle into the relative privacy of the balcony. She thanked him for going along with her plan and wanted to do something special as a gift in return.

On the Society's monitors, the screens finally cut back to the wilderness scene with Kyle, Aster and all of the Gensokyo residents collected up to this point. Opposing them was Cerebrum and her cloaked body guard. The villainous woman had a hateful scowl on her face as she launched into a tirade.

"So, here you are. The Agents of that despicable Society, leading the last dredges of a land that shouldn't have existed in the first place! A land where things disbelieved in the real world went to hide from death. Unnatural rejects from eras gone by that couldn't accept their lost place in the world. And who brought these pieces of crap together and tried to polish them back to their previous state? The members of a group of fanboys and fangirls that can't accept that there are people stronger, faster, smarter than they are, that's who!

Now, you confront me in mass while seeking vengeance. Well, you aren't the only ones who have a small army at their beck and call," the Sue declared with a snap of her finger. In an instant, hundreds of child sized fairies appeared in front of the villainous woman. Seems she didn't mind using the mechanics of the Touhou games when it best suited her and only her.

"These mindless insects will entertain your delusions of victory for a little while longer. If you actually defeat all of them, then I'll grant you the right to face me. Alright, my disposable army, you may begin your attack now." As one, the hundreds of fairies unleashed an absolute storm of magically created bullets of varying sizes and shapes. It was almost impossible to see the fairies casting the spells for how dense the amount of projectiles got.

Cirno, her formerly puny floating ice cube wings were now several meter long icicles jutting out from each shoulder blade, reacted swiftly by stepping out in front of the group and throwing her arms forward. She released an aura of intense cold in that instant, catching the projectiles in front in a thick coating of ice and each successive wave that came into contact with the ones ahead of them were frozen too. Cerebrum displayed some intelligence and signaled the fairies to stop their barrage. It was too late for a few fairies at the very front of the formation as the ice block that was forming over the projectiles reached them and caught them in the freezing barrier. With no new substance to sustain it, the mini glacier shattered like glass with a mighty crack.

The aged ice fairy's arms drooped from the effort to use that much power, but then she started laughing happily with its use. She then shot an arm up over her head with a clenched fist and boldly declared, "I AM THE STRONGEST!"

Unimpressed, the Sue ordered her fairies to resume bombardment. As the curtain fire started up again, the sound of a camera could be heard and several fairies disappeared along with the oncoming rush of projectiles. Aya was standing next to Cirno with an old film camera with a grin on her face.

"Now this is a scoop! The most exciting thing I've done in years!" With the minute lull her technique bought them, the other Gensokyo residents leaped into action and unleashed their own bullet hell to blast the opposing fairies into oblivion. Said fairy army countered, but their mindlessness showed as they didn't actively try to avoid the return fire like their opponents did. In only a few minutes, the last fairy commanded by Cerebrum had fallen and the battlefield lay gouged and cratered by the crossfire. The Sue growled in disgust that she would actually have to fight them herself.

"I should have known better than to rely on worthless trash like those fairies. How utterly…" She trailed off in confusion when her bodyguard stepped forward and spoke tonelessly at the Agents.

"I will leave her to face the Gensokyo residents if you agree to face me by yourselves." The look of incredulousness on Cerebrum's face said it all. Kyle and Aster looked at each other with mirrored looks of confusion, but then Kyle just shrugged.

"Fine, if you really want to fight alone, let's step off to the side and have it out." When they started walking away, the incredulous look turned into almost straight out panic as Cerebrum rapidly looked between the cloaked man and the large number of beings who were angry with her. She tried to school her features as she reached for her spell cards, but she froze when Yukari revealed herself to be holding them.

Kyle, Aster and the cloaked man didn't look back at the sound of the Sue's screams of pain and the massive beating she was now getting from the Gensokyo residents. After walking for a few minutes, leaving everyone they just left as blurs in the distance, the cloaked man stopped and spoke up.

"This should be far enough. I have no doubt that you already know my identity, so there's no use for this cloak anymore." Quickly whipping it off, he revealed his appearance that had been hidden up to now. It was Kyle, or rather, his Pro Cliché and Mary Sue Protection Society counterpart, Elyk. He was several inches taller than Kyle; probably 6'5" compared to the Agent's 5'9", and definitely had the advantage in sheer mass with a heavily muscular build. Additionally, he wore a tanktop with an open brown leather vest and heavily worn out jeans that had been cut off at the knees. The final obvious difference was that he didn't wear glasses.

Kyle pulled out his Omni-Weapon, its polished steel appearance dutifully reflecting the sunlight above. His counterpart reached behind him and pulled out a bigger sphere colored in gunmetal grey. Not to be left out, Aster got ready for battle by bringing out her staff. However, Elyk made the tactical choice of attacking first: his Omni-weapon shooting out a thick shaft of metal, like a big hammer head, and slamming into Aster before she had the chance to react. The impact sent her flying backwards and might have knocked her out from the lack of movement when she landed.

The normal stoic game face Kyle had shattered as one comrade in arms fell, his teeth grit in anger as he charged. In his hands, the Omni-weapon sprouted a longsword blade and hilt to deal a deadly blow. In response, Elyk held out his version to make a shield in front of him. Kyle activated his Accelerator to zip around behind his PCMSPS counterpart and swing with his weapon. However, much to his surprise, the sound of metal on metal showed his failure as his opponent had matched his speed and brought the barrier around to block the attack.

The Agent leaped back a few meters and waited. Though he was angry, he knew that just recklessly pressing the assault was not going to get him very far in this fight. However, even with his attention on his counterpart and expecting the attack to come, Kyle was only barely able to block it by using his Omni-weapon as a shield. Elyk had merely added a handle to his sphere, making it a mace with its dense mass as the head. The force of the blow lifted Kyle off his feet and sent flying a few meters backward, in addition to leaving his arms numb for a couple seconds.

Kyle, as he quickly got to his feet, briefly thanked his choice to make the Omni-weapon out of the alloy he chose; even his counterpart's version of it wasn't able to harm his variant. That didn't help him with his current situation, though. Elyk decided to press his advantage, heavily sweeping his mace to put as much power into each blow as possible. Now knowing that he couldn't block the strikes, Kyle focused on dodging until he could spot an opening in the rush. However, one thing was clear as the PCMSPS Agent kept up his aggressive assault; he was faster than Kyle was, even as Kyle was using his Accelerator non-stop. In fact, the only reason Kyle hadn't taken another hit yet was due to his experience fighting foes with similar speed to his own.

He saw his chance to counterattack when Elyk went to thrust the dense mace into his gut. Without hesitation, Kyle grabbed the mace's shaft and rapidly pumped thermal energy into it so his counterpart would burn his hand and drop it. Of course, it's rarely as simple to solve a dilemma as it should be. His energy sense let him know that, for all the heat he was trying to force into the weapon, not a single bit of it was being accepted. This Omni-weapon variant negated energy where his would absorb it.

Elyk merely grinned as he spun around with Kyle still holding on to his mace. After several rotations of dragging the ACMSES Agent along, spikes shot out to impale Kyle's hand. This had the two pronged effect of crippling it and forcing him to let go, thus launching him a few meters away. Kyle grit his teeth as he recovered with a roll, ignoring his hand as trying to bandage it up right now would be suicidal.

**Anti-Cliché and Mary Sue Elimination Society**

Most of the Agents in the Monitor Room watching the fight were surprised by the massively one-sided battle. Kyle was a heavy hitter of the Society, so to see him being manhandled like that was shocking. However, there was something else bothering the Librarian and the Leaders as they watched. With a foe that powerful beating on him, Kyle might decide that he needed to use the Heaven and Earth, Worldly Secret Art. What didn't help ease this worry was an alarm going off as large words appeared on the monitors.

"Safety Limiter, Disengaged; Accel Overclock - Celerity! 30 seconds 'til burnout!" Kyle's abilities were dangerous enough to him at the levels he normally used them, so he set special limiters to keep himself from the maximum extremes. He had let the Librarian and the Leaders know about these and helped set up alarms in case he had to turn the limiters off. Why would he use the HEWSA if he could just deactivate those limiters, you may ask?

Well, despite the loss of lifespan that the Heaven and Earth Worldly Secret Art would have, he would still be able to walk away from using it under his own power. If he exceeded the safety limiters and didn't reactivate them in time, they would cause severe harm to his body and thus leave him that much more open to danger if his opponent still proved too tough. Also, even if he did reactivate the limiters in time, he would still need to recover from bypassing it. This would especially be a problem if he had to disengage multiple safety limiters in a short span of time.

Why is he disabling one now? He had orders and had promised to not use the HEWSA again. It's as simple as that.

**Anti-Cliché and Mary Sue Elimination Society**

With his Accelerator's limiter inactive, Kyle easily dodged when Elyk rapidly approached and made a several meter wide crater in the ground with his attack. It was obvious that Kyle was now the faster one as he managed to get into Elyk's guard and land a strike. At the speeds he was moving, the kick he managed to land on the PCMSPS Agent had the same effect as his opponent's blows had on him. In other words, it was Elyk's turn to go flying. However, since he was rapidly reaching the red zone, Kyle tried to end it with his Omni-weapon as a wide bladed longsword.

Speeding around to his opponent's flank, he went for a killing blow aimed for the PCMSPS Agent's head. To his eyes, Elyk turning to see his charge was in slow motion. Kyle was within a mere couple of meters when something he didn't expect happened. His opponent's Omni-weapon matched his speed and launched a defensive spike into the path of the blow, diverting his attempted impalement into a mere shallow cut along the target's cheek. In the same motion, Elyk reached up and grabbed his throat.

With his movement now arrested and his critical time almost depleted, Kyle reluctantly reengaged his safety limiter. His counterpart smugly grinned as he held the Agent by the neck. As if to reinforce his helplessness, the gunmetal Omni-weapon shot out the hammer-like shaft to knock the polished metal one out of Kyle's hand. Another strike sent it flying away to prevent him from trying to grab it later. However, here is where he made his first real tactical mistake. Instead of immediately finishing off the ACMSES Agent, Elyk threw him to the ground.

Kyle tried to get up, but was skewered by three spikes; one to the arm of his undamaged hand and one to each leg. The spikes retracted, leaving Kyle pretty much defenseless now with only his damaged hand about to move to any real degree.

"I suppose I should just finish the job right now, but I want to savor this. It's always such a joy to watch weaklings give it their best to fight their way out, only to find all possible means of combating their opponent rendered worthless. What is it called on that one website, the "Hope Spot"? Well, crushing pathetic hope is always satisfying." The monotone Elyk spoke in only added to the growing horror on Kyle's face as he realized that he could do nothing in his current state. Making his weapon a mace once more, the PCMSPS Agent stated with finality. "And now, you die."

Tactical mistake number two; forgetting to keep track of any unconscious opponents. As the gunmetal mace descended upon the wounded Agent, a thick shaft of light speared and then severed the swinging arm. This was immediately followed up by Elyk's legs getting frozen to the ground. Both counterparts looked over to see Aster glaring daggers at the larger man, two identical staves in her hands. There was her normal one, of course, but the second one was a shiny metal monochrome duplicate. Obviously, it was Kyle's Omni-weapon, lending itself to the Fae to help Kyle.

"That was for knocking me out, kisama. This," Both staves then started to glow intensely, Aster crossing them with the business ends pointed at Elyk, "Is for ticking me off!"

Kyle's counterpart had a panicked expression on his face as he tried to turn and bring his remaining arm up in a defensive position while his legs were still frozen to the ground. The shaft of light Aster shot out was even bigger than the previous one. As it neared Elyk, however, some kind of indigo light spread out from his remaining hand and blocked it.

"That's a Contra-Annihilation Barrier! How did you learn to do that?" Kyle gasped from his place on the ground. Aster's anger faded to confusion as her attack didn't kill the guy, compounded by her partner's recognition of what protected him. Seeing that, he tried to explain. "The Wild Arms series where I copied the Accelerator from has a reoccurring element of robotic creatures called Golems. A specific Golem called Asgard appears in several of them and he is usually equipped with a powerful defensive shield projector. It's called the Contra-Annihilation Barrier in Wild Arms 3."

After his explanation, Elyk powered down the projection of light with a slasher smile on his face. "Heh, seems like you won't be able to kill me so long as I can still use my barrier. You won't be able to blind side me again!"

He then paused and looked at Kyle in bemusement, "Uh, shouldn't you be passed out or something? I mean, those areas you got stabbed in should be losing a lot of blood."

"Function of my mission suit. It's enchanted so that as long as enough of it is intact, it will automatically act as a compress in cases like this. Doesn't do much but keep me alive if the wound keeps me from moving around. The injuries still hurt a great deal, though."

Now, with all the drama of Kyle's injuries shattered, let's get back to the confrontation. Aster took flight, taking shots at different angles to try and get around Elyk's barrier. However, while the ice still kept him from moving from that spot, his speed applied to his upper body too. This, plus some rather surprising flexibility despite his mass, meant he was able to put up his barrier regardless of the angle of attack. Only real limiting factor here was that he only had one arm to project with, so he had to get a bit creative.

With how much effort she was putting in, Aster did have to stop to catch her breath. In that brief pause, Elyk took his chance. A glow of deep indigo covered his hand as he held it over his head. Kyle had only a moment to realize what his counterpart was doing and get an "oh crap" expression on his face before a brilliant flash and powerful physical force punted him about a dozen meters away. Aster was unharmed as the Omni-weapon reacted in time to shield her with a metal dome.

"Barrier Storm…Seems like he loves Asgard. Still, at least it wasn't Wide Barrier." Kyle groaned, from where he landed, at the additional roughhousing his already injured body took. Without trying to move his arms or legs, he carefully looked up to continue watching the battle. He would then catch sight of something rather interesting: Aster shifted the Omni-weapon staff into a javelin position and threw it at Elyk.

As expected, he threw up his barrier and deflected the staff away. However, after the Omni-weapon retracted its current form, the compressed metal came flooding out. It pushed the sphere up into the air as it took form, a humanoid form. Kyle's eyes widened as he recalled Yukari's gift to him for his effort.

*Flashback*

"Alright, we're as alone as it gets for an apartment. What's up?" Kyle would say as he leaned against the balcony.

"Well, I wanted to provide you with a reward for your help. If you would please let me see that sphere of yours?" Yukari asked as she held out a hand.

"My Omni-weapon? I guess." He reached into his shirt and pulled out the four inch diameter ball of metal. With a bit of hesitancy, he put it into the Mistress of Boundaries' hand. With a look of concentration, she put her other hand over the top of the sphere. It started glowing with yellow light and a strange dull noise could be heard. Kind of like a screech, but not unpleasant.

The glow intensified as the orb floated away from Yukari while she pulled her hands away. Inside that brilliant light, the sphere started becoming something more human-like while growing ever bigger. After the long wait as the form got closer and closer to human, Yukari smiled and said.

"I merely upgraded and expanded what you had already started. She's still a rough work in progress, however. The path to her new life will start once you answer this question. What is her name?"

Kyle watched the more definite human female form now standing between him and Yukari. He'd think as it turned to face him with a kind of hesitant expectation, like she was fearful of rejection. Taking a deep breath, he'd answer.

*End Flashback*

"Muse!" Kyle called out. His Omni-weapon now stood in front of Elyk in a fully humanoid form, though it was obvious she wasn't human. She wore a toga with a veil over her long hair. Her limbs were thick like a weightlifter's and her height was about six foot even. That's as far as normal as she appeared, because her everything about her was metal. Heck, she had obvious eyes and ears, but no mouth.

"I shall not allow you to get away with harming Master!" Her voice was like that of a normal woman, but there was a reverb to it. She faced Elyk with fury in her eyes as something interesting happened to her metallic body. It started expanding and shifting while she declared, "Mobile Suit Girl; MS-07B Gouf!"

Except for the color, when her body stopped changing she was an exact replica of the Zeon model that succeeded the Zaku. Well, except for the fact that she didn't have the cycloptic head sensor, instead just having her eyes there like she was wearing the whole thing as armor based on that specific Mobile SUIT. She stood there in her new armored body, glaring at her master's counterpart.

Elyk was now a bit worried, since he only had one arm and now had two opponents. Strangely, Aster merely floated where she was without any hint of attacking though she hadn't lost her look of anger. After this stillness continued for a moment longer, Muse threw her right arm forward and shot out a thick length of coil from under her wrist. The PCMSPS Agent created his barrier, but oddly, the attack went off to one side but it didn't try to go around the edge of the projected field.

It's when the Gouf's weapon retracted that her plan came to light. Wrapped up in the long coil was the gunmetal grey Omni-weapon. Muse caught it and then inspected it. Another moment of silence went by before it turned into a replica of the Buster Sword. Elyk's face now expressed even bigger panic than earlier.

"This Omni-weapon negates all energy except kinetic, because it could not be wielded otherwise. However, your Contra-Annihilation Barrier is a different kind of energy, isn't it? I do believe this is what is known as being hoisted by your own petard." With that said, she charged.

Elyk, with the ice still solid enough to keep him from running away, could only watch as the massive sword pierced his only defense like it was paper and severing his remaining arm in the process. Even as it was still falling to the ground, Aster struck with all the fury she could muster. Her staff slammed into Kyle's counterpart like a battering ram before he was instantly frozen solid. From there, she slammed the weapon into him once more and shattered him into particles.

*Anti-Cliché and Mary Sue Elimination Society*

Cut to the monitor room as Kyle was being carried away to the medical room by Muse, now in her normal state. Aster followed after the pair, saying something about Pocky. Adrian couldn't put the Touhou fandom under blacklist fast enough after everything returned to normal. Tash was there to comfort him after all this.

"SURPRISE!" And then the Librarian almost leapt out of his skin as Kogasa Tatara appeared in front of the pair. She was a Karakasa Obake Youkai with turquoise hair and matching vest over a white shirt with long sleeves and puffy shoulders and a pale green skirt with a single white line near the bottom and white circles over that line. Her eyes were not matching, with one turquoise and the other merely red. In her hands was a violet umbrella with a single eye and red mouth with a tongue sticking out of it.

Tash was the first to react by asking, "Who are you?"

"I'm Kogasa Tatara and I'm a youkai from Gensokyo! My power is the ability to surprise people, so…Surprise!" With that declaration, she disappeared.

Adrian recovered after many deep breaths and declared, "I'm getting really sick of these Gensokyo women! If I never see another one, it will be all too soon!"

"SURPRISE!"

"GAH!"


End file.
